Track-spike.



J. BRUNNER.

TRACK SPIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY13,1915.

LWQQQS. 1 Patented. Feb. 8, 1916.

p k W an surname JOHN BRUNNER, F EVANSTON. ILLINOIS.

TRACK-SPIKE.

Application filed May 13. 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN BRUNNERLEL citizen of the United States, and resident of Evanston, infthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railways and has particular reference to a novel track spike for use in connection therewith.

It is becoming common practice among railroads to bore holes in the ties for themcommodation of the track spikes, such holes being bored before the ties are treated, as by creosoting. The spike commonly in use at the present time is of rectangular cross section, and ithas been found that when such spikes are driven in the round holes previously bored the fibers of the wood are bruised and cut and deterioration of the tie begins at that point. This follows because of the fact that the preserving material has penetrated but a short distance into the Wood and this protective coating is destroyed by the distortion of the fibers re ferred 'to. An object in the construction of the present spike is to provide a device which may be driven into the holes without tearing or cutting the fibers and which may have the proper holding power. p

It will be understood that when driving a round spike it is diflicult to cause the same to travel in a right line and without bodily rotary movement. For this reason I have provided a round head having a beveled under surface, the bevel of the under surface corresponding substantially to the degree of inclination of the upper surface of thebase of the rail. I have combined with'this beveled flange a driving head in order that the flange may not be distorted in driving. 1 The invention "will'be more readily under- $t,ood by reference to the accompanying (lrawings in which.

l ligure 1 is a section through a railroad tie and rail showing my novel spike in place: 1 2 is a perspective view of the spike; Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof, and Fig. 4 a'section through a shank of the spike looking toward the head thereof. f

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lheb. 8, 1916.

Serial No. 27,797.

to the flange 14, I make a slightenlargement 17 of the shank. thus insuring a snug engagement with the base of the rail. The flange H. as best shown in Fig. 1, has its under surface 18 beveled to correspond substantially to the angle of inclination of the rail base. It will be seen that in whatever manner the spike is driven there will be a proper engagement between the flange and the base of the rail. The driving head 15 may be oval, as is shown, or round.

It will be understood, of. course, that while I have shown the bolt as truly circular in cross section, this might be somewhat varied without departure from the spirit of my invention. An object in the construction of this spike is to provide for rounded surfaces, which will not act to cut or bruise the fibers of the tie, as occurs in the use of a rectangular spike having sharp edges.

1 claim:

1. A track spike, consisting of a head and a solid shank, said shank being finished to provide cylindrical surfaces of two differ- 2. A track spike, consisting of a solid cylindrical shank having an annular flange,

near one end of the shank, the under surface of which flange is inclined, the lower end of the cylindrical shank being symmetrically reduced in diameter to form a blunt, rounded point, substantially as described.

3. A track spike, consisting of'a-solid cylindrical shank and a head in-the form of an annular flange, the lower edge/0f Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 8th day which is bevellig, said dcylindriealtihmll k'beofMay, 1915. ing of two ci ex'ent inmeters, e nrger diameter being located near the said annular JOHN 'BRUNNER' 5 flange, and the lower end of the shank being Witnesses-z pointed to form a blunt hale-engaging end, NORRIS E. CRUEL, substantially as described. VIRGINIA B. SHAW. 

